


love you for a long time

by billiedeansbottom



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Murder House
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:41:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28230060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/billiedeansbottom/pseuds/billiedeansbottom
Summary: Billie Dean Howard has a chance encounter with a crew member working on her television show's set that opens both parties to new opportunities in their lives.work and chapter titles are from maggie rogers' "love you for a long time"
Relationships: Billie Dean Howard/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. baby, don't you want to see how far this thing can go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! once again, this is a story i have already posted on my tumblr (same url as this account)!! i just wanted to share with more people! if you have a request, please feel free to leave it in the comments or send it over to my tumblr!

“Come on, Y/N, just go out with me on one date.”

You rolled your eyes at the guy who had been hounding you all day. Florence had sent you running around set today and somehow this guy managed to end up exactly where you were every single time.

“Listen, I’m sure you might be a great guy and all,” you start. _Probably not_ , you think. “I’m just really not interested.”

“What?” You could see him grow visibly angry at your response. You wished he knew how to take no for an answer and would just walk away, but, of course, your wishes never came true. Your rejection only caused him to grow more determined. “Are you a fucking dyke or something?” he spat out.

You clenched your fist at your side and huffed, “Yes, actually I am. And even if I wasn’t, I would never consider dating an arrogant asshole like you.”

Billie had been watching the conversation from a few feet away as she half-listened to an assistant detailing the rest of the day ahead of her. She had noticed the guy following you around the set, but she didn’t have enough information to intervene. That is, until she watched you snap. She rushed over to you, ignoring the questions the assistant was throwing at her. Billie laid a gentle hand on your shoulder before addressing the guy across from you, “Who are you?”

“Michael.”

“Great. Michael, you’re fired. Leave the set immediately.”

You didn’t have to even turn around to know who had come to your defense; you would recognize the woman’s voice anywhere. Billie Dean Howard had come to your defense and fired the man that had been harassing you without asking any questions. You fought to calm the butterflies in your stomach before turning to face the woman beside you. The moment your eyes met Billie’s, you were reminded of the crush you had developed on the medium early on in your time as an assistant on set.

“Thank you,” you whispered, nervous to be talking to the woman outside of your duties.

Billie flashed you a smile you swore gave the set’s lighting a run for its money. She held her hand out to you. “Now, dear, I don’t believe we’ve formally met. I’m Billie Dean Howard. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

A light blush ghosted your cheeks at the pet names Billie had laced into her introduction. You knew this was typical of her so you tried to ignore the way it made you feel, but it only fueled the rattling of the butterflies in your stomach. Remembering she reached her hand out to you, you returned the gesture with a small smile. “Y/N. I’m just Florence’s assistant so it’s not really important.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl,” Billie hummed, rubbing her thumb against the back of your hand before releasing it. “Your name is always important, darling. I’m sorry I hadn’t introduced myself earlier. And I’m also sorry you had to deal with Matthew, or whatever his name was.”

You let out a soft giggle at Billie’s apology. Your heart skipped a beat when you realized she said your name was important but didn’t bother to remember the name of the guy she had just fired. “It’s okay. I’ve dealt with worse. I was just mostly annoyed that he followed me around all day.”

Billie shook her head disapprovingly. “Let me take you to dinner tonight to make up for it, doll.”

“Oh,” was your small response. You quickly regained your composure and shook your head. “You don’t have to.”

A smirk grew on Billie’s face. “I know I don’t; I want to, darling.”

You couldn’t say no to the woman, so hours later you found yourself sitting across from Billie at one of her favorite restaurants. You didn’t really have time for going out with your schedule so you weren’t sure you had the proper attire, especially to go out with _Billie Dean Howard_. This led to you squeezing into an old dress you had found in the back of your closet. The dress was extremely low cut, your breasts had developed more since you purchased the dress, and you almost started to regret wearing it until you caught Billie’s eyes wandering down your chest. Having the woman’s eyes on you was worth any discomfort you were feeling.

“So, Y/N, tell me about yourself, sweetheart.” Billie brought her glass of wine to her lips, sipping it slowly as she watched you.

Your eyes went wide and you nodded quickly, trying to cover your reaction. “Oh, um, I’m studying psychology at a local college. Well, I’m not taking classes this summer so I can work, but yeah. Florence is a family friend so when she heard I needed a job, she offered me the spot. And who was I to turn down working on _the_ Billie Dean Howard’s television show?”

The medium let out a soft laugh at the question. You couldn’t help your heart from fluttering as you watched her, Billie was absolutely gorgeous. You still couldn’t believe you were out with her for dinner. Before meeting her earlier, you thought the closest you would ever get to the woman was when Florence had you running something to her. You had been working on set for three weeks now and you could count the number of times you’ve seen Billie up close on your hand.

“Well, I’m glad you decided to take the job. I think I’m going to like having you around.”

You blushed at Billie’s comment and took a sip of your drink. When your eyes met hers once more, the smile on your lips was as wide as her own. “I think I’m going to like being around.”

“Florence better take care of you, I might steal you and make you mine.”

—

Two weeks later, you found yourself balancing your time between being Florence’s assistant and doing small favors for Billie Dean. You didn’t mind the extra work, you were happy that the medium trusted you enough to assign you small tasks. It also meant you got to hang around her more, which you would never complain about.

“Y/N, darling?”

You whipped your head around to face Billie. You were about to leave set for the day, keys already in hand, but you knew whatever Billie was going to ask of you was important.

“I have an event tomorrow night.”

“Right. Do you need me to pick up your dress? Arrange a car?”

“Come with me.”

You froze in place. In the two weeks since you had dinner with Billie, the woman had grown more and more flirtatious with you. You knew this was a part of her personality; she was a celebrity, she had to get people to like her. But it always felt different with you, like she genuinely meant her flirty remarks. You tried to ignore those thoughts, there was no way someone like Billie Dean would ever be interested in you. Now, you weren’t sure what to think anymore.

“Darling?”

There was that pet name again, one that she only ever used with you. Even when talking to other assistants she used a number of other names, but darling was only used for you.

You nodded slowly. “I would love to. I don’t know if I have anything to wear, though.”

“We only had a half-day today, there’s still plenty of time before places start to close. Let’s go find you something to wear.”


	2. i saw your face and i knew it was a sign

You hadn’t expected Billie to really drive you to the clothing store, but when you accepted her invitation to the event she laid a hand on the small of your back and led you to her car. You felt your skin burning at the contact and tried to ignore it as you answered questions Billie was asking you.

“A dress or a suit, darling?”

“Um, a dress preferably.”

Billie nodded with a hum and unlocked her car as you neared it. She made sure to open your door for you, waiting for you to get comfortable before rushing over to the driver’s side. You smiled at her actions; when paired with her flirtatious tone you genuinely felt she might be interested in you. Despite this, you didn’t dare say anything; you didn’t want to make things awkward if you were reading the situation incorrectly. Instead, you watched the buildings pass by through the window, carrying a casual conversation about the set crew.

“Has anyone else bothered you like that _Marcus_ guy?”

You bit your lip to stifle a laugh at Billie still not getting his name right. At this point, you were sure she was just doing it to prove a point. You were surprised at the medium bringing up the topic, it hadn’t been discussed since the day of the incident.

“No, everyone knows that I’m closer with you now and they either witnessed or heard about you firing him on the spot, so they don’t really mess with me. Well,” you started before shaking your head and deciding that what you were going to bring up wasn’t important for Billie to know. “Never mind.”

Billie had parked in front of a store while you were speaking so she was finally able to turn to face you. She leaned her arm on the center console and looked up to meet your eyes. “Y/N, what happened?” Her voice was stern, indicating that she wanted to hear what you were going to say. You didn’t miss the lack of a pet name either.

Your gaze dropped to your lap, where you had started picking at your nails. It was a habit you always turned to when you started to become nervous and this situation was no exception. You could feel Billie’s eyes staring into your temple as if she was trying to read your mind.

“It really doesn’t matter, I’m handling it,” your voice comes out barely over a whisper.

Billie sighed, knowing she couldn’t change your mind. She decided she would give you space, but reminded you that whenever you were ready to bring it up, she would be there to talk. She made sure that you were okay, trusting that you would come to her if anything happened. Billie always liked to know what was going on on her set, especially if it involved you, but she realized this was something you didn’t want to involve her in so she wasn’t going to push you.

A soft, acrylic nail-sporting hand found yours in your lap, covering the clasped hands. You looked up again, met with that same smile you swore would stop your heart one day. There was nothing like Billie Dean’s smile. When you were on the receiving end of it, you were indestructible.

Her voice was soft when she spoke, a side of her you were the only one to see. “Let’s go find you a dress, darling.”

After half an hour of walking around the store with Billie and collecting various dresses the blonde wanted you to try on, your eyes landed on a smaller black dress with long sleeves and an open back. Without thinking, you reached out to touch the fabric, stopping when you caught a glimpse of the price tag. It was more than you had spent on a dress in the past and you would have to make some adjustments in your budget if you wanted to buy it. You turned away before Billie could notice the attention you had given to it, this was one she would have wanted you to try on.

“That one’s beautiful, Y/N. Grab one in your size for me?”

You hadn’t been quick enough and Billie had seen you checking out the dress. You bit your lip and slowly reached for it, hoping Billie would like one of the less expensive ones instead when you tried them on.

After being shooed into the fitting room by Billie, who had settled in a chair right outside of the room with a glass of water, you developed a plan. You would try on the other dresses first so the two of you could agree on one of those without even trying on the last one.

You tried each dress on for Billie. In any other situation, you would have been uncomfortable with showing yourself off for someone, but Billie’s attention had a funny habit of making you forget all of your insecurities. You would do anything to be the reason for the elegant smile on her face as her eyes wandered over your body each time you came out in a new dress.

“And now the last one, darling.”

You opened your mouth to protest, to ask if she thought any of the others were the one, but the look in Billie’s eyes made you turn around and return to the fitting room. You closed your eyes as you slipped on the dress, hoping to burn the memory of Billie’s desire-filled eyes in your mind forever. Her eyes had grown a shade darker as she looked over your body in the various dresses, something only someone who was studying the medium could notice. But you noticed, you had spent every second you were around the woman studying her features like you were going to be tested at some date.

When you finished pulling the dress on and looked in the mirror, you knew this was the one. It hugged your curves perfectly and the long sleeves covered the body parts you were most insecure about. You looked hot. Despite your confidence, you still found yourself wondering what Billie would think about it when you stepped out.

However, the moment you walked out of the fitting room and Billie laid eyes on you, it was decided. You accepted that you would have to move some things around, maybe even dip into your college fund, but this was the one. You would give anything to have Billie’s attention on you. Your eyes watched as Billie’s tongue darted out to wet her lips as she took in the sight of you.

“Wow,” she breathed. “You look absolutely breathtaking, darling.”

The employee that had been assisting you on your trip, one that Billie was previously familiar with, stopped in her tracks to look over you. “Dear, that dress was made for you. I will personally send it to you if you don’t go home with it.” She turned to Billie and laid a hand on her shoulder, “You are one lucky woman.”

A mischievous grin grew on Billie’s lips. “I know.”

You felt your chest tighten as Billie responded to the woman. You weren’t expecting the woman to assume you were together, but, looking back, your actions in the store closely resembled those of a couple. You simply nodded when Billie’s eyes found yours again. “So, this is the one?”

Billie nodded and smiled. “Change back and we can get going. I have one more place I want to take you.”

Ducking your head to hide your blushing, you spun around and headed straight for the fitting room. As you changed back into your clothes, you couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that someone thought you were dating _Billie Dean Howard_ and she was the lucky one. Your body moved on autopilot as your mind stayed focused on Billie, sending you crashing right into the medium.

“Careful, darling,” Billie whispered, grabbing the dresses from you as she steadied you. She picked out the final dress, as well as the red one you had tried on, and handed the others to the employee.

You started to protest, “I can’t—”

Billie shook her head and reached for her wallet from her purse. “I invited you, I’m going to pay for them. Consider it my thank you for letting me see you in them.”

Biting your lip, you nodded. You knew not to try to argue with Billie; when she was set on something, she was going to get her way no matter what. “Thank you, Billie.”

“Good girl,” Billie whispered, pressing a kiss to your cheek before turning to walk to the register with the dresses.

Your breath hitched at the phrase and you could feel both your chest and face warming up as a blush covered them. Hearing Billie Dean whisper those words felt _so right_. Your head snapped up as you heard the woman calling for you and you were quick to return to her side, still trying to wrap your head around the fact that you wanted to keep receiving praise from Billie.

Once the dresses were paid for and carefully laid out in the backseat of Billie’s car, she opened the passenger door for you once more. You thanked her before sliding into the seat and buckling yourself in.

As Billie settled into her seat and started her car, she turned to you. “Are you hungry, darling? I know the perfect lunch spot.”


	3. if devotion is a river, then i'm floating away

Taking one last look at yourself in the mirror, you nodded at your reflection and brushed back a stray strand of hair. You flipped up the visor and gathered your purse and keys in one hand and your phone in the other before stepping out of your car. After lunch the day before, Billie Dean had suggested you drive to her house and she would drive the two of you to the event together. She had also given you the details of the event so you wouldn’t be going in completely clueless. It was a dinner party for the network and you would be attending as Billie’s _date_ , not a crew member of the show.

You raised your hand and gently knocked on Billie’s front door, letting out a soft sigh as you felt your body relax. A moment passed and you considered calling the medium, but as soon as you pulled your phone out, you heard the angelic voice muttering your name.

“Y/N, you look beautiful. Those heels make your legs look killer,” she whispered, stepping out of her house. She locked the door behind herself before reaching out to grab your forearm and leaning in to press a soft kiss to your cheek.

Once again, you felt the heat rise in your cheeks as you felt the soft lips ghost your skin. “Thank you,” you said softly, taking a moment to look over Billie. “You look absolutely amazing. I’m sure you get that all the time, but I really mean it. You’re gorgeous, Billie.”

Billie reached out and gently cupped your cheek, brushing her thumb over your cheekbone. “Oh, sweet girl, that means the world to me.”

You leaned into her touch, reaching your hand to cover hers. Doing so, you noticed the lack of her long acrylics and your mind entertained a few possible reasons for the change before you heard the other woman clear her throat.

“We should get going, we don’t want to be late, darling.”

With a small nod, you followed behind Billie to her car as your mind raced. Your relationship was moving into unfamiliar territory and you began to worry what it would mean for your job. You were scared to voice your concerns in fear of ruining whatever it was you had with the medium. You wondered if it was possible to have both the relationship with Billie and your job, you hoped you could keep the latter at least through the summer.

For the duration of the car ride, Billie filled you in on any additional information about the attendees of the dinner you may need, making sure to explain the level of importance each person had. You nodded along, absorbing each bullet point she threw at you. By the time she reached the last person she knew was attending, the two of you had arrived at the house at which the event was being held. You briefly remembered Billie mentioning that it was the home of one of the major producers for the network, but you couldn’t remember exactly which one.

Billie made sure to ask if you were ready before leading you into the house and your heart melted at the gesture. You knew that if you had mentioned that you were uneasy, she would have done everything in her power to make sure you were ready before taking you inside. This soft side of Billie was the exact person you were falling for and you found solace in the fact that you were the only person who got to see this side of her.

The two of you were greeted by someone you remembered catching a glimpse of during a set visit, who also seemed to be familiar with Billie. You stood silently as the two chatted aimlessly about the progress of Billie’s show until you felt the blonde’s hand fall to your waist.

“Simone, this is Y/N. Darling, this is Simone Wilson,” Billie beamed as she introduced you and you felt yourself smiling simply because she was. “She’s produced a few of her own shows for the network, but she’s also a close friend of mine. She visited the set a few weeks ago too.”

You nodded and reached out to shake the hand that was extended toward you. “It’s lovely to meet you. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I honestly don’t watch much television, what shows have you produced?”

You listened intently as Simone talked about the shows she’s worked on, almost forgetting Billie’s hand was on your waist until you felt a gentle squeeze as she nodded along to Simone’s story. You realized that the squeeze wasn’t to get your attention, it just served as a reminder that it was there and Billie wasn’t planning on letting you go. You weren’t complaining, you loved the feeling of the woman at your side. You flashed Billie a quick grin and leaned into her touch before returning your attention to Simone.

“Well, I’m going to go greet some other people so they don’t think I’m a terrible host. I did want to come visit you again soon, Billie. I’ll text you and we can figure out a day that works for the both of us.” Simone turned to you, “It was great to meet you, Y/N. Maybe we can all get together for lunch or something soon.”

When Simone walked away, Billie turned toward you. “I’m going to get a drink, darling. Can I get you anything? Wine?” As you nodded, she continued. “Red? White? Rosé?”

Your eyes lit up when she offered rosé and you hoped she didn’t notice, but, of course, she did. Billie was always attentive when it came to you, something you had picked up on rather quickly after meeting her. She let out a soft chuckle and kissed your cheek before wandering off to get your drinks. You stood in place for a moment before eying a nice corner where nobody was standing. For a moment, you felt like you were back at a high school party, hiding in a corner so you didn’t have to talk to anyone. But this was different, you had Billie now. You would speak to more people when she was at your side.

A few minutes passed by and you pulled out your phone to check for notifications that held any importance. You were in the middle of responding to a friend’s text when you felt a presence by your side. Without looking up, you knew that it wasn’t Billie, her presence always filled you with warmth.

When you finished your text and finally looked up, you were face to face with a man you didn’t recognize, not that you recognized many people here. “Hi,” you muttered, slipping your phone back into your purse.

“What is a pretty girl like you doing all alone? Can I get you a drink?”

“Oh, um, the person I’m with is already getting me one.” You shook your head with a smile on your face. “Thank you though.”

Before the man could respond, you looked over his shoulder and saw Billie Dean walking toward you with your drinks. You relaxed your shoulders and nodded your head in her direction.

“Well I see you’ve made your way to Y/N, Brandon,” Billie laughed, handing you your glass.

The man, Brandon, looked between the two of you and nodded his head. “And I can see that she’s yours, Billie. I will respectfully back off now.” He shot you a grin and held out his hand. “Brandon Summers.”

You took a sip of your rosé, almost moaning at the taste before you remembered you weren’t alone. “Y/N.” You felt Billie’s hand coming back to its place on your waist and leaned into her touch. Reaching out to shake Brandon’s hand, you smiled shyly. You tried to control yourself from beaming when he said you were Billie’s and the hand on your waist wasn’t doing much to help.

“Are you in the business?” Brandon asked, taking a sip of his own drink.

You glanced over at Billie before answering. The two of you had discussed how to answer these questions the day before, but you were still nervous about it. “I’m currently in college studying psychology, but I’m working as an assistant for a producer for the duration of the summer.”

Brandon was shortly called away by some woman and you couldn’t say that you minded the interruption. You liked socializing, but there was something off about the man in front of you. For the next hour, you found yourself chatting with various producers and directors from the network. Billie’s hand remained on your waist the entire time, with the exception of when she went to get refills of your drinks. When you took the first sip of your second drink, you accidentally let the small moan slip and when you looked up at Billie Dean, your face heated at the smirk that was plastered on her face.

Before you could apologize, you looked around and saw everyone moving toward the dining room. You let Billie guide you to your spots at the table, your seat being to the left of the blonde. Once you settled in your place, you felt Billie’s hand rest on your thigh so comfortably it was like this was a routine for the two of you. You truly didn’t know what to make of these last two days, Billie had never explicitly stated that she had any interest in you. That was strange for her, she always made sure to be clear about what she wanted.

Your attention was drawn away from your thoughts as you watched a plate being set in front of you. You grinned at Billie when you realized that she had mentioned that you were vegetarian, as your plate was lacking the chicken that was on top of the pasta for almost everyone else at the table. “Thank you,” you said to the man setting the plate down before repeating the phrase to Billie, more sincerely to the woman.

Billie leaned over to whisper in your ear. “Now, eat up, darling. We have a long night ahead of us.” When she saw you pick up your fork, you felt her lips brush against your ear again, “Good girl.” You were also rewarded with a squeeze on your thigh, which had you shifting in your seat.

Reaching for your glass, you took a rather large sip of your rosé and avoiding looking over at Billie. You didn’t know what you would do or say if you looked at the woman in that moment and you didn’t want to take any risks. Billie seemed unbothered by this as she picked up conversation with those seated nearby while she began to eat her meal. Her hand remained still on your thigh, something you were grateful for. While you appreciated the touch, you didn’t know how much you could handle while in public. After you had finally gotten used to having Billie’s hand on your thigh, you were able to join in on her conversation and you swore you could see her dark eyes light up when she heard your voice. She quickly introduced you to the only other person you hadn’t already met and welcomed you into the conversation. Your heart warmed at the gesture, you already loved being a part of Billie’s world and it seemed like she was determined to make sure you had a space in it.

When someone came by to offer you another glass of rosé after you had finished yours, you declined the offer with a smile on your face. You wanted to remember every moment of this night, especially with the direction it seemed to be going in.

Billie leaned in and her lips ghosted your ear again as you were left alone, “Damn, I really wanted to hear you take that first sip again, darling. I guess I’ll have to find another way.”

There was no way to deny that she was definitely interested in you now. You almost considered calling the wait staff back and asking for another glass, but part of you was curious about what exactly Billie Dean had been hinting at.

“I guess you will,” you whispered back, sipping the glass of water that was in front of you.

Billie smirked and leaned against your body as she jumped back into conversation with Simone. You were satisfied with your response at this point, you wanted her to know that you were completely in for whatever she was planning. 

Two hours later, you found yourself in the passenger seat of Billie’s car, more aroused than you had been in your entire life. Her still hand on your thigh during dinner had turned into a hand rubbing soft circles and even inching higher up your leg while she spoke about network issues. You had planned to return home after getting your car and dealing with it yourself until you heard those three words uttered from Billie’s lips.

“Come inside, darling.”


End file.
